What an Animator Really Wants as a Gift for Christmas

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As an animator, there is probably a whole list of things you'd love for Christmas, that likely, only an animator would really want. Maybe your relatives don't truly know what an animator does, something to do with cartoons, right? To help your loved ones figure out what an Animator really wants as a gift for Christmas we've compiled a Christmas list that any Animator would love! That way, you don't have to end up with Wool socks this year. If you're shopping for that Animator in your life, then look no further, because you're bound to find something they'll love from this Animator's Christmas List.
Gifts for Work

Paperback: $17.36. Hardcover: $55.31
The Animator's Survival Kit holds all the secrets of becoming an amazing animator. Well, maybe not all the secrets, but it covers everything from timing, spacing, weight, walks and runs inside an out. It is quite literally a survival kit, and no animator should be without it. Since this is such an important book to all animators, there may be a chance that certain animator in your life already has it, don't fret, because you're still in luck! Chances are they don't have the other two versions listed below:

$34.99
Recently, they turned the entire Animator's Surival Kit into an interactive app for the iPad. The great thing about this version versus the regular hard back edition is that all the example animations are now in motion!

$959.50
Okay, if you really want to go all out on the animator in your life, look no further, because this is the one gift that may have them screaming for joy. It's The Animator's Survival Kit DVD box set, with 16 DVDs. The author of the book, Richard Williams took what is taught in the book, and did an entire Masterclass over it at Blue Sky Studios in New York. Luckily, he filmed the entire thing and put it on DVD, with over 16 sessions covering timing, spacing, walks, and everything in between. It also includes over 400 specially animated examples for the DVD. It certainly is quite a bit pricier than the other versions, but it is worth it.

Whether they’re a 2D animator, or a 3D animator DigiCel Flipbook is a great tool. This makes the process of creating 2D animations extremely fast and intuitive. They can create their 2D animations with this software, or quickly plan out an animation and test timing ideas. The great thing about DigiCel Flipbook is that it is not a bloated piece of software, its purpose it to create 2D flipbook like animations, and it does just that.

Every animator would jump at the opportunity to speed up their workflow even just slightly, after all, animation is a time consuming process. MGtools is a plug-in built for the 3D application Maya, and is designed by an animator for animators, meant to greatly speed up animations workflows. With tools like AnimRescue, this provides rescue features for files that have become corrupt, or have crashed, and different tools for quickly eliminating the sliding that often occurs on the feet during walk cycles.

This may not seem like the most exciting gift to give an animator, but if they’re a 2D animator then an ACME Hole Puncher will definitely come in handy! This hole puncher is meant for punching holes in paper for mounting on a 2D animation peg bar. Surprisingly, however, an ACME hole punch is not cheap, but it will definitely save the animator from having to buy pre-punched paper for their peg bar.

Every animator needs a way to shoot video reference, so a camcorder is something that will always be helpful! It doesn’t have to be fancy Epic RED camera for $31,000, any handycam will do, as long as it’s able to capture their performances and easily upload to their computers. We’ve found a great camcorder set that includes a 32GB SD Card, a case, lens cleaner and even a Flex Tripod, which allows them to mount their camera on just about any surface!

If you want to go a bit cheaper on the tablet, the Bamboo Splash is still a powerful tablet made by Wacom. While it’s a bit smaller than the Intuos Pro, it should work perfectly for what a 3D Animator will use it for.

A good pair of headphones is important to have as an animator, whether it’s to listen to music while they’re animating, or to listen to the dialogue in the audio of the shot. If you happen to be in the same vicinity as an animator, you’re probably tired of hearing the same audio track played over and over, so get them these headphones! The Sennheiser HD-280 headphones have great quality, and they are not extremely pricey.

The Pixar Story is a documentary that takes audiences behind the scenes of the animation studio Pixar, looking at the companies first years to where they are at now. This is a documentary any animator will get a lot of inspiration from.

With the recent release of Big Hero 6 any animator would love to get the The Art of Big Hero 6 to get a behind the scenes look of the production and see some of the amazing art that went into the film. It’s a great nugget of inspiration.

This shirt is inspired by The Animator’s Survival Kit; with the words “Animation is Concentration” right on the back of the Tee, so anybody walking by will understand as the animator is glued to their computer screen.

Most animators like to customize their workstation with their favorite art or inspiration. A high quality figurine from their favorite movie or comic book is something they would love to show off on their desk. Sideshowtoy.com has a huge selection of impressive figurines from movies like the Avengers, to The Lord of the Rings. You’ll be sure to find the perfect figurine at their site. Depending on the animator you’re buying for, their choice of figurine could vary greatly, but we’ve compiled a few of our own favorite figurines.

If those smaller figurines we listed above don’t impress, then why not just go all out and get a life-sized Boba Fett statue from the Star Wars films? Any Star Wars enthusiast would certainly enjoy finding this under the tree.

Any of these gifts listed above will be a sure fire success with any animator! Be sure to check out our other gift guides for the artists in your life. Game Development Gifts, Graphic Design Gifts, Web Design Gifts.